April 2008 Archives

IT WAS once said that every day of the year, somewhere in the world, a gang show is playing - and Frodsham was once home to this theatrical phenomenon of the Scouting movement.
Between 1978 and 1993 at the town's community centre, hundreds of Scouts and their leaders from throughout North West Cheshire staged eight memorable productions of this unique musical variety show that was devised by the late Sir Ralph Reader and originally produced in London 76 years ago.

All the gang shows at Frodsham Community Centre included keynote comedy skits, comic songs and sketches and were produced by the late Allan Hull, leader of Runcorn's Cestrian Explorer Unit.
He is fondly remembered by everyone involved for his commitment and infectious enthusiasm that was rewarded with full houses for every performance.

The ultimate accolade of the coveted Red Scarf (necker) was bestowed on the team by the London Gang Show Fellowship for the consistent high quality of the Frodsham productions.
Scouts were always eager to take part and each one boasted a cast of about 200, from eight to 70 years old, who staged the performances in the February half-term school holidays.
Allan and his co-producer Trevor Shore - a 1st Frodsham Scout leader who now lives in Holland - started work in September.

Throughout the winter months the community centre buzzed with the excitement of regular rehearsals and senior citizens were always invited to enjoy a free final dress rehearsal before opening night.
Production values needed to be high enough to attract the ticket-buying public, however, and the gang, plus an army of volunteer helpers, devoted many hours to planning, writing, composing, choreography, building stage scenery and props and making costumes.

"It was hard work and fraught with problems, but we always found a way round them and everyone just loved doing it," said former District Scout Commissioner April Nicholas, of Frodsham, a gang show veteran whose husband, Ian, was also stage administrator.

April was wardrobe mistress for the earlier shows before Joy Coxey took over the demanding task of designing costumes and leading a team of volunteers - mostly supportive mums - who toiled over a battery of hot sewing machines making them up. "And the Scouts were ever so proud of their costumes!" she said.

Musical directors for the Frodsham shows were Ken Street and Barbara Maddock.
"It was a magical time for everyone involved and a great experience and achievement for all these youngsters," said April. "Most of them had never done anything like that before and probably never will again, but I think a few did actually go on to do something in theatre.

"They were really good times with lots of good, clean fun and I think everyone was sorry when our gang shows came to an end, but everyone involved in producing them eventually moved on to other things.
"I'd love to see them again but I think it's the old story of finding the right people with the enthusiasm and time to do it."

AT 9.13am on Saturday, October 28, 1944, Wellington bomber XHF465 took off from RAF Chipping Warden in Oxfordshire. A crew of seven were preparing for raids over Germany and were in advanced stages of training. But horrendous weather brought the aircraft down in Bridgemere, Cheshire, just over three hours into the flight. The main part of the fuselage fell at Prince Hill near the A51, half-a-mile clear of what is now Bridgemere Garden World.

Those killed were Flight Sergeant Leonard Joseph Timperley, Pilot Officer Cecil Frank Holmes, Sgt Laurence Edwin Harrison, Sgt James David Milne, Sgt Arthur Fred Baker and Sgt Ronald Whiteley.
Sgt Douglas Stuart Hollis Wilson, the only survivor, sustained spinal injuries after baling out by parachute.
To this day little else would be known of those young heroes if it were not for the meticulous research of Nantwich historian and author Derek J Inskeep. The author of new book Wings of White Linen was so moved by the tragedy of the deaths of these airmen that he was compelled to tell their story.
The coffins of the dead airmen were transported by rail to their home towns with the exception of Canadian pilot Flight Sgt Timperley, whose body was transported to RAF Regional Cemetery in Blacon, where he was buried with full military honours.

His grave stands among fellow airmen - 192 Royal Canadian Air Force, 93 Royal Air Force, 90 Royal Australian Air Force, 18 Royal New Zealand Air Force and 3 South African Air Force graves.

An Air Investigation Board report into the crash states "pilot may have been descending due to engine trouble. Aircraft flying in cumulonimbus clouds when loss of control occurred".
Mr Inskeep has gone into painstaking detail into the background of the RAF airmen who died on XHF465.
His book also details how Cheshire aircraft factories Boughton and Byley which produced Wellington Bombers played a vital role in winning the Second World War.

The book recalls how in 1944, a "group of 50-60 assembly workers at the Vickers Armstrongs Ltd, Broughton Factory working overa weekend in their own time, carried out a timed exercise assembling a Wellington airframe from start on the factory floor to its test flight, achieving this in a record 24 hours and 48 minutes of non-stop work".

This almost halved the world record held by an American aircraft factory which assembled a Douglas Boston twin engined bomber in 48 hours. By the end of production, the Blackpool and Broughton/Byley factories had produced 8,946 Wellington airframes from a total production figure of 11,461.
The book also refers to Cheshire girls who helped to win the war by helping to build the Wellington bombers in Boughton and Byley.

Nancy Kershaw née Hughes, Tarvin was born at Ashfield Street, Middlewich. Nancy worked at Byley working at the Time Rating office with Barbara Baston, Holmes Chapel and Edith Tattershall. The distance to Byley from Middlewich was two miles with workers using a local coach company, cycling or often walking.
At the end of a working day girls and women would sometimes get a lift from a low loader named Queen Mary. The working hours at Byley were 8am-6pm with one hour for lunch with occasional night shifts. Starting wage was 15 shillings with full pay at five pounds.
At difficult stages of the war, workers were allowed time off to visit Byley church. During busier times the congregation spilled into the churchyard.

In a foreword to the book, Mr Innskeep writes: "Not having myself served in the armed forces though always having a sense of gratitude for those who have and still serve their country, for this reason The Bridgemere Memorial came into being.
"Although dedicated to one aircraft crew who lost their lives nearby, the memorial is intended to remind those of my generation and subsequent ones of the debt we owe to all who fought and worked for our freedom.

"Being present at Bridgemere one day last summer when a grandmother took the time to show her grandchildren the memorial reading to them the names and ages of the aircrew ending with the epitaph They gave their tomorrows for our today. My intended reasons for its building gratified by just one visit."
Derek was instrumental in getting a memorial stone and plaque built in 2003 to commemorate the aircrew of the downed Wellington bomber. It was dedicated in October that year with family members in attendance at the service.
He was aided by Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council, Cheshire County Council Oxley's Funeral Services and The Royal Air Force Association, and Nantwich and District Branch of The Royal British Legion.
Wings of White Linen is available from the author on 01270 841912 and proceeds go to the Royal British Legion.

STAFF from Chester's former psychiatric hospital have been invited to a reunion.
Stan Murphy, who worked as a mental health nurse for 49 years, has organised the reunion for all former staff at the Deva Hospital.

He took up nursing at the outbreak of the Second World War and began work as an auxiliary in June 1940 at nearby Upton Emergency Hospital, near Chester.
He said: "Part of the annexe of Deva Hospital, Chester was taken over by the military on the outbreak of war. "When we went there it was empty, everything was spotless and all the beds just waiting.
"We had to go through the main building to get to the pathology lab, pharmacy, and canteen, meeting mental patients, which made me a little bit scared because I was not used to them at that time.
"When the badly wounded military patients arrived from Dunkirk in the summer of 1940 it was so different.
"It was like a station, it was just crammed, and most of them went to theatre. We really had a 'baptism of fire' when we saw the gruesome sights, but just had to get on with the work without flinching. There were two theatres, one for operating and the other for plastering limbs.
"I was told to give an enema to one man; they all had to have enemas before theatre in those days.
"I had never undressed anyone never mind give an enema; I was shaking and upset the wretched thing in the bed.
"I was embarrassed, I was only 19 and led a rather sheltered life, but the poor man was too ill to care if a donkey had attended to him.
"When he had gone to theatre, I had to take the mattress off quick and change it with one from a side ward while it dried. After that I was very blasé.
"We were responsible for 56 beds. We nursed military and naval casualties, British, Czech, and Poles.
"Convalescents wore bright blue serge suits, white shirts, and red ties, and plimsolls so as not to damage the wooden floors of the hospital.
"The staffs were severe at times. Military personnel measured the spaces between each bed with a measuring stick.
"Later on when the raids were bad in Southampton, and over London, and Liverpool, we had civilian patients, men, women, and children, some as young as five and six on the wards.
"The most upsetting part for me was when we knew they weren't going to get better. There were two small girls, heart patients, and there was no real treatment. It was heartbreaking to think that they wouldn't improve at all."
The staff reunion is on Friday, April 18 from noon-2pm in Upton Royal British Legion Club. Call 01244 340753 for details.

FORMER Harthill Primary School pupil Karen Wade contacted The Chronicle with her memories of the school after seeing the photos in the recent Nostalgia pages.

Mrs Wade, who now lives in Oldfield Road, Ellesmere Port, said: "Miss Crouch was the headmistress. Mrs Lowe taught the infants, then it was to Mrs Edmunds' class, Mrs Frost's class, finishing in Miss Crouch's class for the last year. Miss Crouch retired soon after we started and the new headmaster was Mr Gilbert who lived in Burwardsley.

"We moved from Tattenhall Primary School to Harthill so my sister started in Mrs Lowe's class in the infants and I went into Mrs Frost's class. This will have been around 1978/79 when I was eight or nine.

"Mrs Frost had actually taught my mum when she was at Holly Bank School as a little girl, and she still lives in Tattenhall!

"The school really supported the local community. Mrs Vaughan from Broxton was 'fortunate' to have a van and brought most of the children in it. I think there were around 84 children in the whole school at that time - although they did not all quite fit in the van.

"I remember the harvest festival service we used to have in Harthill church opposite, which is now also closed.

"Everyone would bring in a selection of food which would all be placed around the altar for the service and then given out to the local community. My mum has a local fruit farm, so I would usually bring a box of apples fresh from that year's harvest.

"We had a netball team and we used to go around the different local schools competing in matches. We had a sports day in the sports field down the bottom of the lane.

"We used to make things to sell on the different stalls that were there. I remember making water bottle covers in school with pretty stitching on them. We also did may pole dancing. Boys and girls danced together around the pole making the ribbons twist into different shapes.

"My nephew and cousin's son recently attended Harthill school but they have now had to move to Saighton school.

"It is sad that these community schools have to close, but unfortunately everything has to be costed out and goes if it is not efficient. Why couldn't the local schools have amalgamated into one? I am sure this was looked into and comes down to how many children will be coming into the schools in the following years.

"I remember my time at Harthill with fond memories and feel sad that the local community do not have access to such schools whose input into the local area brought families together.

"Well I hope you have enjoyed my memories, it has certainly made me think about very happy times."

A service of thanksgiving for the history of Harthill School at Burwardsley Parish Church in March was attended by more than 120 former staff and pupils.

Headteacher Mo Morron said: "It was like friends reunited with Harthill pupils from the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s talking about old times. Some had never seen each other since they left school."

Are you researching your family tree? Ask a question about your ancestors for Chronicle readers to answer or send us your memories of past events in Chester, old schools, people or places.

Contact Rebecca Edwards on 01244 606415 or e-mail rebecca.edwards@cheshirenews.co.uk.

An infant school is going full circle in time for its 40th anniversary celebrations.
Belgrave Infant School, Five Ashes Road, Westminster Park, will re-start life as a primary school this September, 40 years after it originally opened its doors.

Headteacher Deanne Garratt said: "We have been through life as a primary school, been a first school then an infant school and now we are going back as a primary school again.
"It just happens to be when it's the school's 40th birthday, there's a nice synergy.

"The Year 3 pupils will be the pioneers. We are making a lot of changes to the building to accommodate it and to make sure we have got everything we need. The staff are all very excited."

To celebrate the school opening in 1968 they will be compiling two books, a book of memories donated by former pupils and staff with photographs and a book looking where former pupils are now.
And an exhibition will be held in September to mark the anniversary.

"We are having a celebratory fun day on Friday, September 12, with entertainment and events for the children at the school.
"Then there will be a tea after school for past pupils and staff, so get in contact if you want to come," added Mrs Garratt.

She added: "The next big project, apart from new toilets and a group room, is to have a new playground. We've also got new signage which the children have been involved in designing the new logo.
"It's a great school to work in and most of the teachers have worked here for their whole careers. We have got a bank of staff who have worked here the whole way through."

The school will be having photo in June to commemorate its last year as an infant school.
Any former staff or pupils that would like to contact the school or make contributions can write to Belgrave Infant School, Five Ashes Road, Westminster Park, Chester CH4 7QS, or e-mail to admin @belgraveinf.cheshire.sch.uk.